Veritas In Iuventute
by White Ink Penpal
Summary: My dad always told me that the White family had no luck or great talent for sports, so we had to study and work hard to achieve something in life and leave Pokémon battles to genius Trainers. Good thing anything is possible for the youth who does not know the truth. Nuzlocke-adventure.
1. Chapter 1

Everyone has their guilty pleasure, and mine was watching all the matches of my favorite Pokémon Trainers. My favorite was Peter Walters, an up-and-coming twenty-one-year-old who had won the Pokémon Championship three years ago and was starting to see his career shine. His matches were televised on prime time slots and most girls were enchanted with his devilishly smile, but not me. No, I was enchanted by the way he commanded his Pokémon with such an imposing presence that almost made me wish I had been born as his Pokémon, a Pokémon of a champion. I particularly would've wished to have been born as Grace, the gardevoir who once took down Ryan Harris's mightyena in a semi-finalist match. Such Pokémon was given such delicate care, such specialized training, that I couldn't help but feel––

I heard the stairs creak and I sunk deeper into the couch, hoping that the brown leather would hide me. My dad squirmed slightly in his seat and shot me a confused look, to which I only replied with a finger on my lips.

"What are you doing watching battles at this time? You're supposed to be asleep!"

I groaned and punched the couch in my frustration. "Mom!"

Dad chuckled and lowered the volume of the television, much against my pleas. Now I wasn't going to be able to hear Peter Walters in all his almighty glory! "Aw, c'mon Sam! Let her have some bonding time with her daddy!"

"Brian, you know very well she has orientation tomorrow."

Walters ordered his starmie, Ruby, to hydro pump Gregor Dupont's excadrill, Mercer, the minute the sandstorm subsided. Honestly, I was surprised Ruby had survived considering Mercer was abusing Sand Rush and his awesome attack stat, but then again, Ruby was a veteran meanwhile Dupont had just added Mercer to his team.

"She isn't even paying attention!"

"I'm watching the match! Oh! Critical!"

Dad hummed in agreement. "Mercer's out. Man, I really had it going for Dupont."

I grinned triumphantly when the referee called that Mercer was unable to continue, forcing Dupont to withdraw the excadrill from battle. A five-minute break ensued, which happened every time a Pokémon fainted to allow both trainers to rethink their strategies. This was a special rule of the Diamond Cup Tournament, luckily, because honestly I hated having interruptions in my matches.

"You two aren't really paying attention to me, are you?"

Dad sighed and put the TV on mute, then turned to stare at me. "Are you going to wake up by nine and be on time to your orientation?"

I nodded enthusiastically, the perfect picture of a girl about to decide her future classes. "Yes, Daddy."

He turned to Mom and shrugged at her, giving the she-has-given-her-word look. Really, even though he could be such a downer sometimes, when it came to watching Pokémon matches, he was always on my side.

Mom sighed and shook her head. "At least turn on the light, you creatures of darkness. You're going to be blind."

"Of course we're not," I retaliated, but I didn't object when she turned on the light, even though it was hard getting used to it.

I heard her go to the kitchen and start washing the dishes, a task that she usually delegated to us, but today she decided to give us a break from the household chores. "Hey, did you feed Larry?"

"It's Paul's turn to do it."

"He said it was your turn."

I hummed, looked at the countdown to the start of the match, and decided I would rather feed Larry than fight with Paul and possibly miss some Walters action. Larry was our family's lombre, which we had caught as a lotad the minute we moved to Hoenn. Sure, we regretted catching him five days later, but by then my dad was adamant in keeping him, something to do with making us stand by our decisions or some other parent bullshit. That and he must've become attached to him, otherwise he wouldn't have made the enormous effort to take him with us when we moved out of Hoenn.

Larry was usually found lazing by our swimming pool. Like the stereotypical lazy Pokémon, he didn't do much and always preferred to be around water sources. Not that my family minded. We pitied our neighbors two doors down who owned two lillipups, especially when we heard them yapping all day. Bless their souls, but maybe this would teach them not to bend to their children's whims to easily.

The lombre saw me open the glass door which separated our house from outside and greeted me with a slow groan, not even daring to move a single inch. I took the pokéblock bag from our hiding spot and went to his feeding bowl, which was conveniently located right next to him.

"Larry, you lazy fuck, look at all the moving I have to do for you," I grumbled, glaring at him even though he literally gave no shits. As in, he just groaned again and started eating, ignoring me completely. "The least you could do is say thank you." He kept eating. "Fine, be that way. I'll go watch Ruby rip Dupont into tiny pieces."

I came back just in time to see the next match start. I launched myself into my spot next to my dad, making myself comfortable in the cocoon I created.

"Have you put some thought into your major yet, Alice?"

"What."

"I said––"

"Yeah, Mom, I heard you. It's just that you asked me that question yesterday."

"I know. And I'm asking again because you didn't give me an answer."

Sometimes I wish I hadn't used the excuse that I couldn't hear her over the sound of running water, but my parents knew by now I had an exceptionally good hearing. And it didn't help that my dad also gave me an expectant stare, as if he was tired of waiting for an answer as well. "I don't know, Mom."

"You're not thinking about becoming a Pokémon Trainer still, right?"

"Nooo, of course not."

"Alice."

I groaned when Dad turned off the TV, effectively ruining my dreams of watching Ruby rip Dupont into tiny pieces. "Why'd you do that!"

"Because we're more worried about your future than you are," he replied with a frown, his brown eyes turning hard. "Alice, we entertained the thought when you were still a kid and battles were harmless fun, but it's time to grow up and face real life."

"Battling is real life too," I replied with a pout.

Mom stopped washing dishes and came to stand in front of us with her trademark motherly pose. It made me feel slightly guilty knowing my mom looked so haggard because of me. "Do you know how hard the life of a Pokémon Trainer is, Alice? They don't start earning any real money until they're as big as your Walty––"

"Walters," both Dad and I corrected automatically.

She shot us both an annoyed look. "_Walty_ and Dupan or whatever their names are. You literally live off from what you make of the battles, and if you win. You know how hard it is to become successful."

I pointed at the screen, which was showing the faces of the fervent fans with their shirts that bore the faces of their idols. "But look what happens to those who become successful! Look how loved they are! Look how many people talk about them and their Pokémon!"

Dad sighed and placed a heavy hand on my head. "That head of yours is worth more than all those Pokémon and all those fans. We're not good for battles, Alice, we never were and we never will. But we're good at math and science and _studying_. Say, do you think our lives are bad, your mom's and mine?"

I observed both of them, _really _studied their features as well as what their eyes said, and was tempted to say that _yes_, their lives were bad compared to what I wanted. My dad was a chemical engineer focused on purifying water, and he traveled to many places to install his system as well as to do maintenance. My mom was a math teacher who, though she loved her students, detested her job and the paycheck. Plus, I could see she hated doing most of the housework, even though both Paul and I helped out a lot. They had decent lives, yes, but they were no Red or Steven Stone, breathing legends who had everything they could ever wish.

"No, they're not bad," I lied convincingly.

Dad smiled and ruffled my hair. "There you go. You're a smart girl, Alice. It would be such a waste to see those smarts wasted in a sport like battling." Well, there's a lot of strategizing involved in Pokémon battling, so being smart would certainly help. "Plus, these people are geniuses. The strategies they come up with plus the way they connect with their Pokémon is nothing short of brilliant. These are geniuses of battles, Alice, and, in that area, we haven't given you the genes to be a genius in Pokémon battling. It simply isn't in our blood. Do you think you could've made a starmie beat a Sand-Rushed excadrill?" I shook my head and felt my heart sink at the knowing smile that lit my father's face. "No matter how much training you could've done, it would be impossible for you, my dear."

"Fine, fine, fine, I understand. I won't become a Pokémon Trainer and I'll study something that will make both of you proud."

Mom sat next to me and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Oh, honey, you don't have to think about _us_, think about _your_ happiness and what _you_ want to be." I screamed internally, so loud that my lungs rattled. "We'll always stand by your decisions. After all, how many people can claim they entered Oakwood University?"

Oakwood University was a prestigious private university renowned for its Pokémon Research program as well as its advancements in thermonuclear energy. Honestly, I wanted to go to Scarlet University, the university with the best Pokémon battling program, but I found out I wouldn't have made it into the battling department so I discarded that option myself without the help of my parents.

Now, the cool thing about Oakwood was that it was located in Rustboro City, in Hoenn, another region. I would have to move out and live by myself for the next semester. That and Rustboro had its own gym, which meant that I could enjoy some home matches from hopeful Trainers. Who knows, maybe I could say I watched the next big star's first battle!

The orientation my mom was nervous I wouldn't be able to attend was a primary one, and not even the important one. We would simply go there to ask about classes and get some information from the professors from some alumni. Honestly, I could've registered for classes online, but I didn't want to go into a class without knowing who would be in it. However, Mom still thought it would be the end of the world if I was late to it, and it would take too much time to explain to her that we were safe.

Walters KO'ed Dupont's support vaporeon with his Choice-Scarf magnezone, effectively ending the match. I wasn't even in the mood to cheer to the fact that this meant Walters was undefeated after thirteen matches, but I managed to cheerfully say goodnight to my parents.

Maybe in ten years I would be glad about this conversation, but I sure as hell wasn't right now.

* * *

I sighed and turned up the volume on my music the moment I saw more people board the train. Two girls in particular caught my interest, only because they were wearing Oakwood's shirt. So they either were alumni or they would be my classmates in one month. Even though I had promised myself I would try to strike some conversations during the orientation, seeing them so giddy and focused on their conversation dissuaded me from even approaching them. It must be nice to have a friend go to the same university, after all.

My friends had all decided to stay home. It was a wise decision, since it was cheaper, but it still sucked for me. I would be going to the local Richland University had I not gotten an amazing scholarship from Oakwood, which made attending Oakwood cheaper than Richland. There were some sacrifices from my part, of course, namely working a part-time job in the university's library to pay off a little bit of the loan, but I was fine with that.

The train stopped and I immediately exited, knowing this was my stop. Richland was big enough to have its own subway system, but the stations' floors were coming off and the signs of the street signs sometimes didn't match the real street signs, effectively making them obsolete. Thus, sometimes Frederick was the name of the stop, for Frederick Street, but you actually got out at Greens Ave. Annoying, yeah, but the municipality had bigger problems to work on, like the remnants of Team Rocket.

Both Champion Red and Champion Crystal had done their best to drive Team Rocket from Kanto and Johto, but the other surrounding regions became their escape. Even though the threat wasn't as big now and the crooks were laughing matter compared to the old Team Rocket, they were still a nuisance to our police force.

I disconnected my earbuds from my phone and hid them away in my shorts's pocket. Richland could get really cold in the winter, but summer was a humid bitch. Wearing jeans in July was both health and social suicide. In that area, it would be a bit harder to get used to Hoenn, also called the Land of the Eternal Summer. Then again, Hoenn was close to the sea, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Locating the place of the orientation wasn't hard at all, judging by all the Oakland insignias and flags and big cardboard sign which read "Welcome Freshmen!" Well, I wouldn't feel very welcome unless they gave me food, to be honest.

Students were already gathered inside, conversing with each other or eating by themselves in one of the tables set up. I went to the check-in table and got my Oakwood shirt and my name tag. I dashed to the buffet table and got a chocolate muffin with some orange juice and a cinnamon roll. God knows I love cinnamon rolls. Bless Oakwood.

A woman clapped her hands and everyone in the room shifted their gazes to her. "Welcome, future Oakwood Rangers!" Yes, our mascot was a Ranger. I hated Pokémon Rangers. "I'm so happy to see how many people will be joining our wonderful network four years from now."

She started babbling about her amazing time at Oakwood and all the things she had done and all the people she had met and blah blah blah. I just continued eating my cinnamon roll and tried to figure out how to eat my muffin without leaving bread crumbs on the floor. I was a very messy eater, but I didn't want my future classmates to know that just yet. Gotta keep appearances, after all.

"And now, I leave you to explore the room and the people in it. Please, don't hesitate us and ask questions! We would be delighted to help you out. If you're ready to register for classes, please go to the other room. We will help you choose the classes that best suit your chosen major."

And just when she finished, I finished my muffin without a single crumb landing on my thighs or the floor. Biggest accomplishment of the day, right there. Nothing I do could top that.

I stood up and looked around the conference room. Most of the students had already gone to register for classes, but some of them were mingling and talking with some of the alumni, asking about department professors as well as future career options.

The nearest trash can was on the other side of the room, much to my disappointment. Ah, well, it was next to the desserts table, so maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

"Well, you're very lucky indeed. Our Pokémon Research major requires all of their students to obtain at least one gym badge to become a sophomore."

I skidded to a stop and stared at the alumni and student talking to each other as if they had just told me the secret to finding Mew. "Excuse me, can you repeat that?"

The boy, who looked about my age, and the alumni man both turned to me at the same time, surprised to see someone had been listening to their conversation. The alumni quickly snapped out of it and grinned at me. "Why yes, sure. Are you interested in Pokémon battles?"

"Yes," I replied quickly.

"Zach here was just asking about that too," he said, motioning to Zach. The boy smiled sheepishly and avoided eye contact with me, instead focusing on the alumni. Smooth, Zach, very smooth. "I know how popular Pokémon battles are in people your age. Even though Oakwood doesn't have a battling team, we are one of the only universities in Hoenn which offers the Pokémon Research major, though it's one of the best in all the regions. Earning a gym badge isn't hard at all, considering that we have a gym in our own city. This requirement is used to prove that you're able to handle and understand Pokémon, but I see that you won't mind it at all."

"Is it only one gym badge or can we continue?"

The alumni's dark eyes widened, not expecting that question. "Well, you could continue, but not many students do it. There's no need, after all."

"So, let's say that, theoretically, a student decides to aim for the Elite Four meanwhile studying Pokémon Research. Theoretically, of course. Is that possible?"

"Uh, I don't think anyone has tried it."

"Is it possible? Theoretically, I mean," I asked again, a bit more forcefully. Both Zach and the alumni looked surprised, and the poor boy started to look a bit uncomfortable.

The alumni broke eye contact with me and scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah, but I don't think it would help your grades. And, if you have a scholarship, you might lose it if your grades fall."

That sentence alone should dissuade any sane student, but, then again, I am no sane person. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

"Don't tell me you're actually thinking about doing it."

"I'm not thinking about doing it; I am."

Zachary looked at me as if I'd grown a second head, meanwhile the alumni shook his head in exasperation. "Okay, ruin your life, kid. Hey, Zach, are you done?"

"Um, yeah. Thank you for everything."

"Sure, no problem," he said amicably, then stormed off, muttering something about kids these days. Well, old fart, sorry if you aren't smart enough to pull it off.

I smirked and was about to head straight to the registration room when a soft voice called me. "Hey, you're not thinking about actually doing that, right?"

I turned around and stared at Zach, surprised to see worry in his blue eyes. "Doing what?"

"Aiming to get a chance to beat the Elite Four. You're joking, right?"

"Of course not. It's been my dream since I was seven to become a Pokémon Trainer."

"Why not go for Scarlet, then? They specialize in Pokémon battles."

"What's it to you?" I asked, annoyed. "If I go around and screw my life, why do you care."

Zach frowned and crossed his arms. "I don't care right now, but, if you're really choosing Pokémon Research as your major, we're bound to be classmates."

"Less competition for you in finding a career."

"That's not the point. I–– argh, just… Whatever. I'm leaving."

He walked off to the soda fountain, and I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a bit guilty in blowing him off like that. Kid was just trying to look after me, that's all. But still, I was a big girl and I could make big girl decisions now. My parents want me to have a legitimate career? Fine, I will show them the sheet saying my major is Pokémon Researcher, then they couldn't complain by saying I wasn't using my brains for anything.

Maybe I just need to get this urge to get Pokémon battles out of my system, but until I do, I will become a low-life Pokémon Trainer.

* * *

My plane landed at Rustboro International Airpot and I felt as if I just completed a giant step in my life. My parents and Paul had seen me off, two sad and one excited to have another room to work with, but I knew I would see them often so there was no use in getting sad. They had been ecstatic to find out I was becoming a Pokémon Researcher, surprisingly, saying that Pokémon had been, and always will be, humanity's greatest helpers. To find out more about them was a noble task.

Ha, if only they knew the real reason why I was doing this.

Getting all my luggage was a hassle, but not completely unbearable. Getting to the university was also expensive, but Oakwood was really far away so I couldn't be mad at the taxi driver (and the taximeter didn't lie). Seeing all the students welcoming us was nice, but all I could think of was getting into my room and taking a long bath.

Oh, and meeting my roommate, but that was second on my list.

"Hey, where are you going?"

I blinked and stared at the upperclassmen who had yelled at me. "Um, going upstairs?"

The brunette grinned and beckoned me over. "You still need your ID, freshie. You can't do much without your ID?"

"What's it for?"

"You didn't read the instructions?"

"Who does?"

The upperclassman cocked her head to the side and nodded slowly. "True, very true. Well, your ID is your best friend from now on. It holds your lunch money and, if you're interregional, it serves as your identification in Hoenn. Plus it's like you have university status, which is a big thing in this city, so you get some discounts and stuff."

"Perks, cool."

We approached a counter with an old lady behind it. Her eyes were narrowed and I could see her shoulders shaking, no doubt irritated by the onslaught of incoming freshman demanding for their identification amongst other things. "Name?" she asked in a monotone.

"Alice White."

She starting searching something behind the counter and her eyes lit up slightly when she found my card. She examined the picture and my face, confirming that I was indeed Alice White, and handed me the card. The card was a royal blue and a silver oak tree was covered almost the whole card, only interrupted by my picture and the name ALICE WHITE in the bottom. "Have a nice day," she said, a bit more amicably than what I expected.

I turned to my side and was surprised to see the brunette upperclassman still waiting besides me. "Can I go now?"

She giggled and nodded. "I'm Rachel, by the way."

"I'm Alice."

"I know, I know, I was here, remember? Anyway, Alice, if you have any questions, I'm staying in the fourth floor in room 6. Make sure to drop by sometime, okay?"

I smiled. "Sure, thanks!"

Tugging my luggage by myself proved impossible, so I asked some of the welcoming crew to help me out, which they did quite happily. Luckily, my room the first one in the second floor, so I didn't have to wait around or haul the bags too much. The guys left my luggage in front of my door and wished me luck when they left, making me feel slightly warm and at home.

I knocked on the white door and tried to contain my excitement to see my roommate. Okay, yes, I was very excited to meet my roommate, as much as I had tried to deny it earlier.

The door opened, revealing nobody inside. I almost had a heart attack when I heard an aipom cheer in the floor.

"Lily! What have I told you about opening the door!" a flustered, high-pitched voice exclaimed from somewhere inside the room. A redhead soon appeared in front of the door, her black shirt a bit crumpled and her smile sheepish. "Hi! Sorry about that; Lily likes opening doors. I'm Marie! Are you my roommate?"

I nodded. "I'm Alice, nice to meet you."

Marie saw the bags behind me and said, "Oh, let me help you with those! C'mon, Lily, you take that small one."

Lily cheered and used her tail to get the handle of my smaller bag. We each took one of the bigger ones and dragged them in. We placed them at the foot of my bed, a bit haphazardly but who cared about cleanliness right now? "How long ago did you come here?" I sat down at the edge of my bed and observed Lily and Marie folding her clothes.

"Oh, very long ago. I'm local, you see."

"So you must have a lot of friends here, then?"

Marie giggled and stopped folding her clothes to look at me. "No, not really. Most of them left Rustboro for Petalburg because it's cheaper. What about you?"

"I'm interregional, so they're very far away."

"Ah, well there's this certain charm in being alone. You get to be whoever you want to be, after all. What are you majoring in?"

I started to unpack my bags, but I made sure to make it seem as if I was still very invested in the conversation. "I plan to become a Pokémon Researcher. No, that's a lie, I don't know what I want to be, but I just want to have a taste of Pokémon battling. I want to have a journey."

"A journey?" Marie asked, surprised. "Didn't you have yours when you were ten?"

Well, like any normal child, I should've had a taste of traveling with Pokémon at age 10. It was a simple rite of passage: go to the next city by yourself with your Pokémon. That was it, you didn't even have to pull a Red and become the youngest Pokémon Champion (besides Blue). "No, my parents thought that was stupid," I replied bitterly. "The only exposure I've had to Pokémon was when my brother caught a lotad. He didn't even let me hold the ball afterwards. So I want to try my luck at the Elite Four Challenge. I don't even want to participate in the Championship Tournament."

Both Marie and the aipom sat down on the bed, looking at me curiously. "Hm, well I don't think Oakwood is the best place to achieve your dream. I mean, even if Pokémon Research is not obscenely hard like our astrophysics program, it's still not a walk in the park. How do you pretend to continue studying and also try for the Elite Four?"

I smirked. "Very interesting question. I've got a plan, but I just need the approval of _one _of my professors. Just one. I will masquerade the Elite Four Challenge as a research opportunity."

"And just how are you going to do that?"

* * *

Three professors were sitting in front of me, staring at the freshman with boredom and impatience. I was surprised that they had even accepted my request so early to see them, but knowing Oakwood and the little amount of students they had, they probably had more free time than I had previously expected.

"I have an idea for a research opportunity," I started, my voice strong despite the nervousness inside. "It will, however, require time as well as an absence from the university and I need your backing."

"And what is this idea, White?" my Pokémon Anatomy and Physiology professor, Edgar Joy, asked, slightly more interested than the rest of his colleagues.

"I want to document the changes in the psychology, physiology, and anatomy of Pokémon as they travel with a Pokémon Trainer. For years, we've been baffled as to how the Pokémon of Champions do the stuff they do, and we attribute it to various theories. There are differences in their bodies and power, that is for sure, but just how did these differences arise?

"I noticed the only person to have ever done something like this is Professor Oak, the founder of our institution, but that was fifty years ago, when we didn't know much about Pokémon, we didn't have much technology, and he was confined to only the Kanto region. I want to continue his legacy."

The three professors started murmuring with each other, now obviously intrigued. I had wisely chosen professors who were interested in Pokémon to back my "research project". The woman to the left, Margaret Anderson, had been working extensively with Professor Rowan of the Sinnoh region to find out more about Pokémon evolution, but so far they hadn't had much success. Since evolution was a natural consequence of training (for some unknown reason), I was sure she would be interested.

The man sitting my right was James Hans, and though he was now teaching me Interregional History, I knew he had an interest in legendary Pokémon. A bit childish, if you ask me, but it could only play in my advantage right now. The only people to have ever had contact with legendary Pokémon (supposedly) are Pokémon Trainers. Some Trainers even own a legendary, but those are usually rumors, since the Trainers don't like having their friends under too much pressure.

Lastly, I knew Joy was a shoo-in for his support. Pokémon changed so much in a Trainer's journey, and unfortunately we never had a Pokémon Researcher walking next to a Pokémon Trainer to see the changes in real time. However, Professor Oak had been a Researcher _and _a Trainer at the same time, and now he was the most famous Pokémon Researcher in the world.

"Very well," Anderson began, her voice a bit scratchy from age. "Say we do offer our support for this experiment. What information will you give us?"

"Plus, of course, how are you going to continue with your studies?" Hans added.

Luckily, I've had two weeks to prepare for these questions. "I plan on documenting my Pokémon every day and I'm even willing to give them up to you after finishing the experiment for further study." In other words, give them my Pokémon once I'm done with my Elite Four Challenge.

"Provided that they're alive," Joy interjected, his voice hard.

Pokémon death was an unfortunate byproduct of Pokémon battles sometimes. Sure, it was rare, since fights to the death had been banned in all the regions over fifty years ago, but accidental killings, especially from inexperienced trainers with strong Pokémon, were bound to happen. "…Yes, if they're alive."

"And then there's the matter of your personal integrity," Hans continued. "Pokémon Trainer deaths are in an all-time low, but there's still a percentage of deaths in the lower tens, I believe."

"I'm ready to sign a contract saying that whatever happens to me is completely unaffiliated with the university."

"Will you need a parent signature?"

"I'm a legal adult, so, no."

All of the professors sighed at the same time, and the action elicited a chuckle from the three of them. They all looked at me with slight respect, more than I could've fathomed from the moment I asked for this audience.

"I will hand it to you, what you're doing is not easy. Most Pokémon Researchers are Researchers because they detest the outdoors and battles," Joy finished with a chortle.

"As for the studies," Anderson said with a hidden smile. "We are your only three instructors for this semester, correct?" I nodded. "Well, we're willing to let you submit your coursework online. Tests must still be done at Oakwood, but we will warn you with a week of anticipation so that you can show up."

Those were the words I've been waiting to hear, the big break I had been waiting for. How many college students were simultaneously Pokémon Trainers? Almost none. Sure, I was starting the game a bit late, but that didn't matter.

My dad always told me that the White family had no luck and no great talent in sports like Pokéathletics or Pokémon Training, but we had a good brain and worked hard for what we wanted. I wasn't doing this to prove him wrong, but rather to prove to myself that someone with almost no talent and experience in Pokémon battles could go far.

That, of course, was still to be decided, but I had no doubt that it will happen.

After all, what could go wrong?

* * *

**Welcome to _Veritas _****_In Iuventute_** (VII), or, in English, _In Youth There Is Truth. _This is a kinda self-insert, and I say kinda because I don't fully associate myself with the OC in some areas. As you may have noticed, this is not the usual Pokémon world, as I have borrowed a bit from the games, anime, real life, and from manga, in the future to **create VII.**

**VII has some nuzlocke elements, and it won't be a completely happy story, but I do promise it will be entertaining. I will use Bulbapedia statistics as well as random assignment to see which Pokémon are going to be caught to make it fair. **

**The rest... Well, I adore Pokémon with a passion but update speeds will depend on the response, considering that I have other pending stories. Either way, this one is a tribute to ORAS so the plot and characters will be inspired by RSE, but I will not limit myself to only Hoenn.**

******Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon, concepts, etc. Those belong to Nintendo. Artwork not mine, either.**

**Reviews are love**

**Penpal**


	2. Chapter 2

I opened my eyelids and groaned a little when I saw that I still had an hour before my alarm went off. My roommate, Marie and her aipom, Lily, were still sleeping, their forms rising gently up and down. I found it slightly strange that the aipom slept in the same bed as Marie. My mom and dad had always told me and Paul to never let Larry inside the house, since he would wet the house. Not only that, but I never had the urge to spend time with Larry, and he always seemed content in his spot next to our pool.

Perhaps I woke up because of my excitement. Two weeks ago I had convinced my professors to let me register as a Pokémon Trainer, while keeping my status as a full-time university student. Sure, this meant much more work, but I received perks. For example, I wasn't going to starve to death in my adventure, since my university ID could be used in most restaurants, deducting money from my account. And since I was the winner of the Devon Scholarship For Future Innovators and the Mossdeep Space Center Math Stars Scholarship, I had some money leftover that I could only use through Oakwood's ID.

I still didn't have enough money to secure a safe means of transportation through Hoenn, but half the fun in a Pokémon Trainer's career lay in the adventure. Even the children of wealthy parents travelled through the routes, foregoing the train or cars or planes. The only time I would ever take a plane back to Rustboro was for when I needed to take a test in the university, but other than that I got the sweetest deal in the world.

Even though life seemed to have taken a liking to me, I couldn't help but feel guilty that I had lied to my parents about this. If they ever found out… Well, it's not like they could order me to come back, since I was financing my education by myself, but they were still my mom and dad, and they deserved to know this. But wouldn't it be selfish to worry them? They had Paul to worry about, and he was already quite the rambunctious character. Unforeseen rebelliousness from their oldest child would only add stress to their already weary minds.

Besides, it would be easy to fake my stay at the university. I detested video calls, so they wouldn't be surprised if I rejected their video conversations on my phone. Still, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get an Pokégear or PokéNav, or at least a Pokétch. Normal cell phones weren't made for the harsh travel of a Pokémon Trainer, and signal wasn't very good in routes because the Trainer market wasn't worth all the installation. However, the Trainer market was still big, especially considering these devices saved lives, so they were developed intensely.

There was no use in trying to go back to sleep. Today I was officially registering as a Trainer and getting my training license. From now on, I would be held accountable to the League's rules and regulations. Stealing Pokémon, for example, was an offense that could easily revoke my license. Pokémon murder or death was also investigated by the League and civilian law. They were strict and ruthless, mostly because they had to make sure traveling was safe even for ten-year-olds. Champion Red and Champion Crystal's adventures, though held in wonder and admiration by every Trainer, were considered failures in the eyes of the League. Kids shouldn't be involved in the dealings of criminal organizations, after all.

I got out of bed and went to our bathroom, which would soon become Marie's. Perhaps the thing I would miss the most would be having a bathroom so close to my room. You couldn't really pick the moments when to have a nice shower, unless you happened to be close to a waterfall. Not only that, but if you were traveling with other fellow Trainers, which was recommended, bathing in a river could lead to certain awkard situations.

My mind had no qualms in traveling alone, but I had been recommended various times to try to befriend people on the road. Pokémon Trainers were no threat to other Pokémon Trainers, but, like always, there were bad people on the road who preyed on the weak and lonely.

As much as I hated to admit it, at the moment I was weak and if I traveled alone I would be lonely. Finding people to share the adventure would be a wise idea, at least until I get at least two badges. Then we could complete the Elite Four Challenge however we wanted.

I wrapped my towel around my body and went back to my room, searching for my clothes. I needed to look presentable today, at least for sake of the first impressions. I was having a background check to make sure I hadn't been involved in problems with civilian or League law before, and it would be a good idea if I didn't look like a ruffian.

Marie sighed deeply and murmured with her eyes closed, "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving," I replied softly, putting on my short-sleeved white shirt and navy shorts. "My appointment is at eight."

She mumbled, "Already?"

"I'll be back later. I just need my Trainer card."

Marie nodded and buried herself deeper into the covers. "Good luck," she slurred softly and went back to sleep. Lily shifted in the bed and moved to cuddle closer with Marie.

The hallways were already buzzing with conversation, even if it wasn't even eight. Most students usually started their classes around eleven, so it was a bit weird seeing so much action already. I went to the cafeteria, got my chocolate milk, and sat down in one of the empty tables. I was a bit queasy and didn't want to eat. I was a bit afraid of the future, since I had never lived on the road before. Sure, I had always envisioned having a journey and taking the Elite Four Challenge, but dreaming about something and actually doing it were two very different things.

I downed my milk in one go and quickly threw the carton in the nearest trash can. I didn't care I was very early, didn't care the Trainer Office might not even be open and I would have to wait outside. The faster I get to my journey the faster I would get through it. I didn't need my parents to tell me what I was doing was foolish; I told myself what I was doing was foolish. But becoming a Pokémon Trainer was that one thing I couldn't just give up, that one dream that I had to follow regardless of what my brain told me.

Maybe I was following my heart, but I knew my brain was berating me greatly. My dad would be so disappointed if he knew. My mom wouldn't speak to me for days. But those were the perks of being a college student; I could make my own decisions now.

I left my dorm and took the train to the Trainer's Registry, right next to Rustboro's Pokémon School for Children. That school had been the main reason why my parents had chosen to come to Hoenn when I was around eight. My dad wanted to send me on a Pokémon journey, but my mom feared for my safety, so we went to one of the only Pokémon Schools for Children in the regions, since the other nearest one was in Sinnoh, too far away for my mom's liking.

Unfortunately, my mom grew to hate Hoenn. She was from the temperate Kalos, and while she barely tolerated Richland, Hoenn was just absolutely unbearable. And in half a year we had moved back to Richland, with a lotad in tow.

The Trainer's Registry was an elongated, three-story building. The walls were a cream color, recently painted, and the windows were polished. A banner of a black figure holding a Poké Ball in the air. It was obvious that the Pokémon League maintained this place; anything by the League was beautiful. The amount of money they handled would make any businessman salivate. Holding a spot in the Pokémon League or the Pokémon Association was extremely coveted, because once you were in you were guaranteed to stay in as long as you wished. The only positions subject to change were the Elite Four members and the Champion, but since they held the most power it was understandable.

The automatic glass doors opened as soon as I stepped close by, the cool air hitting my face. The place was mostly empty, but there was already a small amount of children sitting with their parents in the chairs scattered in the room, waiting for their turn to be called. Luckily Oakwood had made the appointment for me, so my case was given a bit of a priority. My professors had wanted me to leave last week, but there was a test I wanted to finish before I left.

I checked with the machine close to the room and wrote my name and appointment number. I was given a ticket, P4532, and was asked to sit and wait for my turn. The moment my butt came in contact with the padded chair, a voice called met ticket number to window six, and I swiftly went there.

The man behind the glass was burly with a heavy mustache and balding hair, a frightening figure for a ten-year-old child. Then again, the League liked to hire intimidating people to give the children a sensation of foreboding. Pokémon were dangerous and weren't meant to be taken lightly, after all.

"Your ID?" he demanded, his dark eyes hard.

I handed him my Oakwood ID through one of the opening on the counter, trying to keep my shaking hand steady.

"Alice White, where is your residence?"

"Richland."

"Did you complete your test and have your results sent to our office?"

I nodded calmly, now gathering my thoughts. It had been a test designed for a child, but I still needed to complete the process like any other person.

The man turned to his computer and looked me up in his database. I had gotten a perfect score, of course, but when one of the questions was "What is ground immune to?" I knew it would be embarrassing if I missed one.

"Alice White from Richland, born June 18, 2007 in Camphrier, Kalos." He eyed me for approval, and I nodded again. "Seeing as you're not a little girl telling the world you're going to dethrone Wallace, I imagine I don't need to be stern with you, right?" I shook my head, and the man sighed and started typing something in his computer. The special printer on his desk started working, and I knew he was printing my Trainer's Card. "Even if I know you're not as stupid as the rest–" I resisted the urge to grimace or glare at him "–I'm still required by the law to tell you what this Trainer's Card allows you to do and give you _advice_ on what to do in the following months.

"You're allowed to keep six Pokémon in their Poké Balls for official battles regulated by the Pokémon Association. As a Trainer without Badges, you're only allowed to have Normal, Bug, and Grass type Pokémon. This includes primary and secondary types. Earning more Badges will unlock more types. You must follow the Pokémon Association rules of battle, namely the Eye Contact rule. You must give up a fourth of your money if you lose a battle. You cannot steal, cheat, or kill on any circumstances. Failure to follow these rules will result in Trainer Status removal and civil and League law punishment.

"As soon as you capture a Pokémon, it will be registered under your Trainer ID and, if you already have six Pokémon, it will be sent to the Pokémon Computer System. Upon release, a Poké Ball will scan your fingertips, check with the League's system, and if they match the Pokémon will be able to understand you and you will be able to understand your Pokémon. You cannot understand other people's Pokémon and other people's Pokémon cannot understand you.

"It is advisable that you find other Trainers to travel with to lessen the chances of harm or death. It is advisable that you help any fellow Trainers on the field. It is advisable that you rest in a Pokémon Center as soon as you reach a new city. It is advisable that you take care of your Pokémon. It is advisable that you go to the Trainer's Store, the only store endorsed by the Pokémon League and its sponsors. Any questions?"

The printer stopped its loud noise and I asked, "When can I start?"

The man took something from the printer, a teal card with my Oakwood picture on it, and passed it through the small hole on the countertop. "You can now. I wish you good luck."

* * *

Marie observed all the shiny gadgets with wonder, Lily handing on her shoulder and mirroring her excitement. "This is so cool, Alice! You're the talk of the school!"

I frowned slightly and eyed the Pokégear and PokéNav. Both were good gadgets, but which one was best? Even though Silph and Stone were symbiotic companies, they still competed fiercely in the stores. "That's not what I wanted to do."

"I know, but still! That's so awesome!"

"Which one should I get?"

"I hear the only notable difference between the two is if you want to be a Pokéathlete or a Pokémon Coordinator."

My nose scrunched. "Not interested in any of those two."

"Then I don't think it maters. If anything… Xtransceiever or Pokétch?"

"Pokétch," I replied quickly. That one had been easy. The Xtransceiver was cool for video calls, but I had no need for video calls. Besides, the Pokétch was quite useful in keeping track of my Pokémon, something I would need if I wanted to have good notes for my professors. "I think I should support Devon, no?"

Marie shrugged and went to the shoe section. "I guess? I never cared much about business rivalries."

Her chosen major had been Languages. She really had no interest in the business world. Neither did I, but Mom and Dad had always shoved me for that side. "Hm, that makes around ten thousand. If I want to eat anything this month, I should stop."

The brunette gave me a look and laughed. "There is no way any Trainer can get your money, Alice. Oakwood money can only be spent by you and only on certain places. Even if you lose, your eating money is safe."

"I never said I wanted to have an uncomfortable journey. At any rate, I want to be out in the Petalburg Woods before the sun gets too high."

"Why Petalburg Woods?"

"I can only catch Normal, Bug, or Grass type Pokémon, remember? And Route 116 has those annoying whismur we keep hearing all the way in our dorm. And 104 annoys me just 'cause."

Marie giggled, and her aipom scurried from her shoulder and laughed on the ground to the sound. "They are just crying for their momma!" As if to prove a point, the aipom started crying dramatically.

I rolled my eyes and got the nearest Pokétch, a green one, and quickly went to the counter. I had my eye on various of the Trainer clothes and accessories displayed on the counters, but I had no money to afford them. The stylish Trainers were either veterans or the children of rich families, and right now I had no real money to my name.

The cashier stared at me with lifeless eyes and passed the items through the scanner. Yup, ten thousand dollars. It's a good thing I had thirty and I would get another ten by the end of next month. I handed her my Oakwood ID and she swiped it without even blinking. That's surprising; I thought she would've looked at me weirdly for being so old.

She handed me my purchases and muttered something unintelligible under her breath. I only stared at her with confused eyes before leaving the shop, calling Marie with me.

"So now what?"

"Now we go get my starter."

"You hear that, Lily? We'll help Alice get her starter!" Lily laughed and started dancing, yelling something with much excitement. "She says she can't wait!"

That was the main reason why I had brought my roommate along with me. I had no Pokémon, and any moron could tell you that you needed to weaken a Pokémon before it could easily go on its Poké Ball. That's what Lily was for. Yeah, she hadn't battled in almost eight years, but she was still a very healthy aipom and since Marie was willing to offer, who was I to refuse?

Oakwood had offered me a starter from its library, but it was not a real journey unless you caught your own Pokémon.

"After this we're going back to Oakwood and I'm getting my bags. I need to train my starter before I challenge Roxanne."

The plan was to get a Grass type Pokémon. It would be stupid to go to battle with only one Normal type, and I was a bit afraid of Bug type Pokémon. So Grass type was the obvious choice. Of course, I could always use all my Poké Balls and catch all the Pokémon I encountered, but I didn't feel like wasting my money so early on the game, especially when I barely had enough to feed myself for two months.

"What Pokémon live in the Petalburg Woods?"

"I don't know. I wasn't lucky enough to be a Pokédex Holder when I was younger, and I sure am not today. We'll just have to be surprised, I guess."

"Sounds cool."

We continued chatting about random things on our way to the woods. Gossip had already started in college, especially who was going with whom, or who hated whom, or who threw the best parties. I had never really been interested in all that information, mostly because I knew I was going to be leaving soon, but I enjoyed talking about it with Marie. She was laid-back and let me do as I wished. Sure, there was the awkward time when I walked on her and a guy getting it on, but it had been quickly forgotten. Besides, Marie was the resident redhead of our dorm; she was bound to gather some attention.

We reached the entrance of Petalburg after around half an hour of walking. So far, there were no signs of any Pokémon, but I knew they were scurrying around, avoiding detection of humans. Domesticated Pokémon loved their Trainers, if treated with care, but wild Pokémon were hard to predict; some were trusting, others violent. The most vicious ones around these parts were poochyenas, mostly because they were with their mightyena mother, and those could eat your throat.

The sound of nincadas were the first thing we heard as soon as we stepped inside. The woods were cool and dark, the canopy of the trees shielding us from the sunlight. This was the perfect spot for Grass and Bug type Pokémon, and I knew we were close to some Pokémon because I heard the rustling of bushes.

Lily had quieted down and observed her surroundings with an oddly critical eye, standing especially close to Marie. A Pokémon would protect its Trainer first and foremost, battling as it was necessary of them. Lily would protect Marie before me, and that thought left me slightly disconcerted. At least it gave me more of a reason to get my own Pokémon.

A green thing scurried at my feet and wandered deeper into the woods, leaving me frozen behind. That had been a real Pokémon, this close to me. I had never been so close to one before, never felt one without a parent being close by. In a way, that Pokémon had been my first brush with adventure, and I would be damned if I let it go. That Pokémon was going to be mine–– until I gave it up to Oakwood for study, but still…

Mine.

I shot off and followed after it, leaving a surprised Marie and jumping Lily behind. They would only weigh me down. I didn't need Lily to catch my own Pokémon. I didn't need anyone to help me with my adventure. Every feat I did would be mine. Every moment of glory would be mine to take, for when my parents asked if I had done everything, I would be able to say yes.

And they would have no choice but to admit they were wrong in denying me my adventure.

Unfortunately, the green Pokémon had the advantage over me. I didn't know these woods as well as it did, and I didn't have the friends it did. I could feel _something _eyeing me, sizing the opportunity to attack me. Well, at least I knew what kinds of Pokémon these were: the ones that attacked.

The green Pokémon appeared in front of me again, this time with other green Pokémon following behind it. Now that it wasn't scurrying around, I correctly identified it as a treecko. Torchics, mudkips, and treeckos were popular Pokémon to have in Petalburg, Odale, and Rustboro because they helped out with the first gym (torchic would need to evolve but it was worth it). They were so beloved amongst young Trainers that they had been dubbed "starters". Of course, when the young Trainers got tired of them and their journey and their families didn't want to deal with Pokémon, they were often released to the wilds. Torchics were abundant in the Meteor Falls, mudkips around Petalburg, and treeckos in Route 101. To see a small horde so far from their usual home was a bit weird.

But there were four treeckos, and only one of me. They could attack me or runaway and I would be able to do nothing. And until I captured one of them, it would be impossible to communicate.

One of the treeckos, the one I had seen, sized me, yawned, and started walking away. I felt my insides fuming. How dare it turn its back on me?

"Alice!"

I turned around and felt a my mouth curl. Perfect. I saw the little band of treeckos stop from the corner of my eye. "You're just in time, Marie."

Lily looked around and quickly spotted the treeckos, the hairs on its back rising at the first sign of battle. She growled slightly, and her Trainer's eyes widened.

"She wants to battle," Marie said softly. "But Lily cannot battle all four of them at once!"

The aipom growled something lowly, and I saw Marie's features fall.

"She won't back down." She sighed and reluctantly took a commanding pose, the one we had all been taught whenever we were about to start a battle. "Very well. Lily, use sand attack on all the treeckos!"

Even though it was at a numbers disadvantage, Lily had more battling experience than all the treeckos. It was something Pokémon traded in exchange for freedom. Trainers had the tactics, Pokémon had the power. It was a simple relationship that had existed since the advent of humanity.

Only one of the treeckos evaded the sand attack, the rest rendered momentarily useless from the blindness. This uselessness wouldn't last forever, though, and I knew I had to capture the treecko that had evaded the attack. It wasn't even the leader of the pack, but who was I to choose? These were Petalburg Woods treeckos.

"Now, use fury swipes!"

Lily viciously started slashing treecko. I had to hand it to the little guy, it tried dodging a couple of attacks, but I could see why the leader of the pack had been the other treecko; this one had a lot of work ahead of it.

One of the scratches had been particularly vicious and it managed to draw a bit of blood from its arm. I saw the treecko grimace slightly in pain and clutch its wounded right arm. I saw the other treeckos wipe their eyes and soon they were back on their feet, observing us. It seemed there was some type of code amongst these wild treecko pertaining to battles. Interesting. That's something I should note.

Now was the time I should catch it, when it was focused on other things. I reached deep into my shorts's pockets and drew out a small Poké Ball. I enlarged it and threw it to the treecko, hitting it on the arm. The ball moved once, twice, thrice, until it stopped, the blinking red light in the middle disappearing.

"You caught it," Marie whispered.

I crouched in front of the Poké Ball and took it in my hands. The band of three treeckos eyed me angrily, snarling at my face. I smirked and released the treecko, _my _treecko, in front of them. I saw it sway a little, no doubt a bit disorientated, and eye its previous family with confusion. I saw the faces of the treeckos fall in dismay before they weakly fled, leaving no trace behind.

"Who am I?" I heard my treecko ask in a very distinctive male voice. The Poké Ball was a brilliant device that not only bonded a Pokémon with its Trainer, but it also erased the memories of a Pokémon's wild days. It was impossible to domesticate a Pokémon if they remembered being wild. Of course, the power behind domestication lied on the amount of badges a Trainer had, which is why it was almost impossible for a rookie to have a salamance or even a beldum unless it was a figure worthy of respect.

Marie tugged my arm slightly and gave me a disapproving stare. "That was cruel, Alice."

I shrugged. "What, I should've kept him inside and waited for them to attack us again? They're wild Pokémon; they will fight until the end, and I don't want to fight."

My treecko turned and looked up to me with curious red eyes. "Are you my Trainer?"

I crouched so that I was to the same eye level and smiled gently. "Why, yes, little one. I'm Alice, and this is my friend Marie and her aipom, Lily."

Marie leaned down next to me and petted the treecko gently. "Hello there! Nice to meet you!"

The green reptilian cocked its head to the side, slightly perturbed. "Why can't I understand her?"

Lily started chatting with the treecko, apparently taking the role of explaining to him what was going on. Pokémon could communicate with each other with the same ease as humans could, granted they knew the same language. Apparently Lily and my treecko did, because they continued chatting. I could understand what my treecko was saying, but I knew nothing of what Lily was saying.

"You should give him a name," Marie said. "It's weird to call it treecko."

"Ladon," I quickly replied.

My redhead friend raised an eyebrow. "That was quick."

"I always knew I wanted to name my first male Pokémon Ladon. My first female Pokémon will be named Belisama."

She blinked. "I didn't know you had a thing for mythology."

"All our names can be traced back to either mythology or the names of things. I'm just going down a bit further down the roots. But I'm just giving the first two mythological names. The rest will get normal ones."

Ladon nudged my leg with its paw gently, attracting my attention. "So my name is Ladon? And yours is Alice."

I nodded. "You learn quickly. That's good; I have no use for stupid Pokémon."

Marie nudged me roughly with her elbow, and I turned to glare at her. Just like how everyone had their own way of raising their children, I had my own way of raising my Pokémon. She had no right to judge my way as long as it gave results.

"Think I'm gonna go back to Oakwood. I have class tomorrow and today has been a hard day. C'mon, Lily, let's go."

I had enough sense to know that Marie didn't want to talk to me at the moment, so I let her leave. Lily seemed oblivious to our fight, since she quickly climbed my body all the way up until my head and ruffled hair, annoying me much to her delight. She then jumped and followed Marie, singing and dancing all the way to the exit.

"Lily is very energetic," Ladon observed, a slight wonder in his voice.

I sat down in front of my Pokémon, uncaring that I was getting my shorts dirty, and beckoned the treecko closer. Much to my satisfaction, he followed my instructions. "Everyone has its own personality."

"I don't remember mine."

"It's not something to remember; you create it. You will soon find what type of Pokémon you are, don't worry."

Ladon leaned closer to my touch and started purring slightly with every caress to his body. This was nice, very nice. I had no idea having a Pokémon of my own would be so fulfilling. Well, there was Larry, of course, but since neither Paul nor I were Pokémon Trainers, it was impossible to communicate with him. Ladon understood, and, as far as his memory was concerned, I was the only thing he had in life.

I had just started to become entranced with petting him when his head snapped up and his tail started shaking a bit.

"What is it?" I asked, a bit annoyed.

"Danger," Ladon answered, his voice a bit fearful.

Just then I heard a gunshot from somewhere deeper in the woods and I immediately stood up into action. I could runaway like any sane person would, saving my life and Ladon's, or I could go find out what was going on. If anything, my only duty as a civilian was to report anything I heard or saw; I had heard something, and therefore I was going to report it.

"Are we not going, Alice?" Ladon asked when he saw me leave to the exit.

"And possibly get killed? No, thank you. I have a challenge to complete, and I'm not dying before even getting my first badge."

Ladon stared down, refusing to meet my gaze. "But… There's someone out there who needs our help."

"Not _ours_; the _police's_. Let's go, Ladon. The more time we waste here, the more likely the person might die."

The treecko glared up at me and stomped his foot. "I want to save the person."

My eyes narrowed. Insubordination was not something I expected so quickly, but I would make sure to kill it quickly. I leaned down and ran my nails lightly against the wound on its shoulder, my eyes cold as he winced in pain. "You forget your place. You're my Pokémon. You fight _for _me. You follow my instructions, not the other way around."

"Danger makes us stronger."

I sighed and shook my head. "Quite the brave one, aren't you. But very stupid as well." I eyed Ladon, his slitted yellow eyes glittering with determination. Then again, no coward had ever become a Champion. Red had driven away Team Rocket, an organization that had killed hundreds, when he was only ten. And yet that's precisely why he could do it: he was only ten. It took a special kind of psychotic person to pull a trigger on a ten-year-old, especially when defeating him in a simple Pokémon battle would send him with his tail between his legs. And yet that had been their downfall: underestimating Red, a Pokédex Holder.

I was no ten-year-old; anyone could kill me and have a relatively clean conscious.

"We need to become stronger," Ladon said, trying to coax me. It was then that another gunshot rang through the forest, and I made up my mind; debating with Ladon had taken too much time, and I wasn't about to be called a coward when I took the Elite Four Challenge.

"Let's go," I muttered and we took off in the direction the gunshot had come from, Ladon hot on my heels. It didn't take us too long to reach the commotion, considering Petalburg Woods was somewhat small.

We hid in the bushes, observing a man dressed like a pirate pointing his gun at girl dressed in blue clothing no older than fifteen, who was protecting a man writhing on the ground clutching his thigh tightly. From here I could observe the red liquid oozing to the ground, no doubt coming from the gunshot wound on his thigh. Since I could see no other injuries, I would assume one had been a warning shot, meanwhile the other had actually found its mark.

"That girl cannot be a casualty," I whispered to Ladon.

"Do you know her?"

I shook my head. "It's nature to try to protect innocents. We need to get that pirate's gun first. Pound him in the back of the knee and then the head. I'll take his gun."

Ladon nodded and at my mark shot off to action. He was silent and small enough to avoid detection until the first hit landed. I left the bushes and tackled the man, who was now clutching the back of his head in pain from the pound Ladon had landed. I wrestled the gun out of him, and even though he was wounded, he still fought long and hard. But, like I said, he was wounded, and I managed to snatch the gun and throw it to the bushes.

The pirate snarled and landed a nasty punch at my jaw, sending me flying flying a little further back. My head spun lightly and I heard a girl scream. A pair of boots angrily got closer to me but immediately stopped when Ladon gave him another pound somewhere in its body.

"Chic, scratch!"

I groaned and managed to sit up, nursing my injured jaw delicately. Even though I couldn't see myself, I knew that it would definitely bruise. Ladon ran in front of me and stared at my face with concerned yellow eyes.

"You little whores!" the pirate snarled and got out a Poké Ball from his belt. "I should've killed you before, but of course the Boss said I should avoid doing that! I'll just have Trent rip you to pieces!" He threw the Poké Ball up in the air and released a poochyena, Trent. "Bite that bitch's head off!"

I knew he meant me, because I was the one who had ruined his plans, but I saw Ladon stiffen and growl. I needed to fight if I wanted to survive. I couldn't trust that girl to guarantee my life. I was alone in this one.

"Ladon, leer and then pound him into submission."

His yellow eyes glowed, momentarily stopping the poochyena. He then sped up and used his tail to land a nasty hit on Trent's back, causing it to fall. But the poochyena was undeterred, and quickly got back on its fours and bit Ladon's tail, causing it to yelp in pain. Trent's jaws hardened, and I saw blood start to seep from the wound.

"Chich, ember!"

A small fire left the torchic's peak and roasted the poochyena's tail. My nose scrunched in disgust at the smell of burnt flesh, but I used this time to order Ladon to knock out Trent with a good pound on the head, knocking him out.

Ladon was breathing heavily and started licking his tail, trying to soothe his wounds. I looked around for any sign of the pirate, but it seemed he had used his own Pokémon as a diversion for him to leave.

The man who was shot was still groaning in the ground, but now that the danger had left, he seemed more calm. He had shaggy brown hair that clung to his face from all the sweat and he wore a dirtied gray suit, the pants stained red and brown. "Is he gone?" he bit out.

"Yeah, coward left his Pokémon here."

Even though I wanted to help the knocked out poochyena, I knew better than to try to touch another Trainer's Pokémon. Then again, was that pirate even a Trainer? He must be, if they were able to communicate. How had he retained his license for so long? Maybe a simple report would take care of it?

"We need to take you to a hospital," the girl who owned the torchic said, her voice gentle but with an underlying steel. "Can you stand up?"

The suited man tried to stand up, groaned, and shook his head miserably.

The blue-eyed Trainer stared at me with pleading eyes. "Hi, I'm sorry to ask more of you considering… Well, could you help us out?"

I nodded and stared at Ladon, who was still nursing his wounds. I got out my Poké Ball and pointed it at him. "Here, Ladon, you deserve a rest." So long as Ladon was in his Poké Ball he would be in suspended animation. Any death was prevented, even by status ailments. The worst that could happen inside was a faint.

The girl did the same with her torchic, the little bird chirping happily at being able to rest.

We each took a side next to the man and wrapped one of his arms around our shoulders. His eyes were still opening, but I could feel they were slightly feverish. If we didn't hurry to the hospital he might die of blood loss.

"You own a torchic? You must be an experienced Trainer." Fire Pokémon were only allowed to those who had two gym badges. The girl must be less helpless than what I thought.

"No… I don't have any badges yet. I only have torchic because it was a gift from my dad, and he had to ask the League for permission."

"Your dad?"

She smiled awkwardly at me. "Hi, I'm Sapphire Birch. Nice to meet you… Um, sorry, what's your name?"

"Alice White," I replied, a bit dazed. Professor Birch was the most famous Pokémon Researcher in Hoenn. He was sometimes a guest speaker at Oakwood, but that was rare considering he gave his life to nature. To have a run-in with his daughter… That was quite the coincidence. "You must be a Pokédex Holder then."

"Um, yes. I don't think that's important."

"Both Johto and Kanto have proven that Dex Holders go on to do great things. So far, I think you started with the right foot."

At hearing that, Sapphire turned away from my gaze and stared ahead, her blue eyes hard. "He said he was from Team Aqua, but I don't know who they are. I just know when I got there, he had shot this man. I tried to negotiate with him, but he only ended giving me a warning shot."

"He… he wanted our goods," the suited man answered, his breath labored.

I frowned and studied his face, noting that he didn't have much time left before he lost consciousness. "Now's not the time to talk. Let's get you to a hospital. Then we'll compare notes."

Sapphire nodded grimly and focused on supporting more of the suited man's weight so that he would exert less force. Strange happenings indeed, and I hadn't even started my Pokémon journey yet.

* * *

**I might have to change the rating later on. Immense thanks to Echo Frosts, StallsalotHB, sky65, and AlltheAces for reviewing; you guys are ****wonderful!**

**Reviews are love,**

**Penpal**


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